Public Speech

So you have to prepare for a speech, huh? Even worse...you have to do it by tomorrow, and you haven't even started? Ah, the humanity! You have to choose your speech topic, come up with your presentation ideas, then write your speech and rehearse your performance to make absolutely sure it's impeccable in front of all those people who will be looking and judging you - and you have to do all of these by the next day.

Following World War II, through the 1990s, there existed a sense of mutual distrust between the United States and the Soviet Union. The hostile environment included American fears of a Russian plan to control the world and the USSR's resentment over US intervention in foreign countries. The Cold War includes such speeches as JFK's address to the nation on the arms buildup in Cuba and commending West Berliners on their dedication to democracy.

In this time of tumult, when Britain is wrestling with the question of what sort of nation it wishes to be, its politics is stuck. Power is hoarded by a distant and unresponsive centre, and our two largest political parties have both been captured by those on their outer edges. Too many of us have been left politically homeless. In Start Again, Philip Collins, Times journalist and until recently a lifelong Labour voter, offers a road map to a different political destination.